Students Participate in Social Justice Day

Students Participate in Social Justice Day
Posted on 01/06/2025
Group photo of students

Recently, secondary students from across our board gathered at Mount Mary to take part in a Youth for Others (Y4O) Social Justice Day, hosted by Canadian Jesuits International. The day, centered on the theme of forced migration, and provided a platform for secondary students to delve into the complexities of this global issue.

The day began in prayer led by Cathedral High School students who artistically connected the theme of forced migration to our faith and the experiences of the Israelites in the desert and Mary and Joseph trying to find a place at the Inn. The day offered students the opportunity to listen to first-hand accounts from our students who have experience forced migration, engage in meaningful discussion and participate in a build your own adventure activity, which challenged students to consider the difficult choices migrants face when they are forced to flee their homes. Throughout the day, students were encouraged to think critically about the causes of forced migration and to consider how our faith calls us to act and to welcome and protect the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

A Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School student shared: It was an experience we will never forget as we forged new friendships, got the chance to connect with nature and each other, prayed together, and truly grasped what it means to be a Pilgrim of Hope and a Christian who welcomes the stranger, gives drink to the thirsty, and clothes the naked; and to live out Pope Francis' call for empathy and justice toward migrants.

The 2024 Y4O’s Social Justice Day was an engaging day that educated and inspired the next generation to become advocates for social justice and human rights.

Students and teachers working in groupsGroup photo of students smiling and working togetherStudents engaged in the activities of the day